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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29574720">nu kyr’adyc, shi taab’echaaj’la (Far, Far Away)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nibeul/pseuds/nibeul'>nibeul</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ahsoka Tano Needs a Hug, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, Clone Troopers Speak Mando'a (Star Wars), Emotional Hurt, Hurt CT-7567 | Rex, Hurt No Comfort, Mando'a Language (Star Wars), Post Episode: s07e12 Victory and Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 23:14:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,669</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29574720</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nibeul/pseuds/nibeul</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Oh, Jesse…” Rex had lost a lot of brothers. Keeli, Hardcase, Dogma, Tup, Fives, 99, Kix… the list was endless, but throughout it all, he’d still had Jesse. Jesse, his second in command, the one who’d always had his back. Jesse had been there since day one.</p>
<p>Rex hadn’t been prepared to lose him too.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives &amp; CT-7567 | Rex, CT-5597 | Jesse &amp; CT-7567 | Rex, CT-7567 | Rex &amp; Ahsoka Tano, No Romantic Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>132</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>nu kyr’adyc, shi taab’echaaj’la (Far, Far Away)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It took them a day to find all the bodies. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>All the bodies that were salvageable, anyways. Rex had tried not to look too long at the half-collapsed bridge, tried not to think about the brothers that were lying inside… there was no feasible way they could be reached without risking the entire frame of the ship coming down. His chest panged at the thought, but he set his jaw and turned away, gaze staring into the scorched metal beneath his feet. It was probably a good thing that there was so much debris to get through; he didn’t quite know what he would’ve done if he’d been left without something to occupy his thoughts. Always on the move, never without pause… alas, Rex was not a machine, and his shoulders ached with the next slab he lifted up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, how he wished he’d listened to Fives. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fives, who always had something to say and who ran his mouth like no tomorrow. Fives, who was the most stubborn of them all and stuck up for what he believed in even when everyone told him no. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fives who knew too much. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Look where that ended him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Captain bit his lip and shoved the slab all the way over, the orange hue hidden behind it quick to catch his attention. He hesitated. Then, despite his better judgment, he lowered himself to the ground and reached forward. It was… just a helmet, likely belonging to one of the troopers they’d found earlier. With a swallow, he turned it over in his hands and found himself staring at Ahsoka’s face once more. Miraculously, it was almost entirely intact aside from a crack running along the visor, though perhaps that’s what made it hurt even more. It was new; Rex could tell from the whiter areas that had been untouched by the destruction, the lack of dirt a sure indicator of a shiny. How old had the kid been? Eight? Nine? Maybe ten, if he was being generous? Unlikely. His fingers started to hurt from gripping the plastoid so hard. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Any luck?” Ahsoka’s solemn voice cut through his thoughts and he turned, then shook his head, holding up the helmet to show her. Her lips parted and she let out a soft sigh. She looked defeated now, as if the weight of the world had been placed on her shoulders—Rex guessed he didn’t look much different. The tears streaking down her face had long since faded, though the trails they’d made through the dirt and grime remained, making it appear as if she was perpetually crying. And oh, had they cried. The moment the shock of everything wore off, they sat against the hull of the ship and sobbed, holding onto each other as if that was all they had left. It wasn’t much of an exaggeration to say so. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We still have half a ship to go through.” He offered meekly, his voice catching in his throat. The helmet felt heavy in his hands. Ahsoka glanced at him, opened her mouth to say something, and then seemed to reconsider. She let whatever it was she had been thinking about drop and turned away once more. Rex was grateful for that. He didn’t think he could look her in the eye anymore. He doubted she could look at him either. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So, they split up once more, Ahsoka heading deeper into what remained of the Venator while he stepped back into the daylight. The rays immediately washed over his skin, causing him to squint at the sudden change, but he could make out the rows of bodies lined up outside without much trouble. There were over a dozen of them now, cooled bodies mangled though recognizable, and most with their helmets sitting by their heads. There was one shiny without his—well, Rex couldn’t really call him a shiny now—and the Captain carefully stepped toward him. The sight of bloody and bruised faces underneath him made the bile trickle up his throat, though he swallowed again, blinking back the tears that threatened to well over as they had before. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Here you are, kid.” He said aloud as he knelt next to his fallen brother, placing the helmet beside his head in a similar fashion to the rest. The kid… the kid couldn’t be more than nine. Rex could see the baby fat that still clung to his cheeks, and his eyes were softer, rounder… closed. The armor he was wearing was too big, the gaps between the plastoid and blacks visible without scrutiny. His broken nose, busted eye, and the red smeared across his skin didn’t rid of the facts. It made it all the more upsetting, and Rex took a moment to gather his thoughts. He stood up before he could break down again. There were still men to find, and he’d be damned if he left them there just to wallow in his own self-pity. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ahsoka passed him on his way back inside, another broken body held in a bridal style carry. Any other time, he would’ve thrown a light jab for it; she had carried Fives after he’d sprained his ankle, and she’d done the same for Hardcase just because he’d given her puppy eyes when asking. But that was different, because they were alive then, and they were happy. The image now felt like a stab to the chest. Rex turned away without a word. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t know how much mindless shuffling he did after that. Everything felt as if he was moving on autopilot, looking through the crevices, lifting the durasteel plates, shoving aside a couple of wires and jutting pieces of rebar… he found the remains of the R-series droids who’d been helping them, the poor tin cans torn to bits from a combination of bolts and the crash that had killed everyone aboard. He picked up one of the legs without really thinking, studying it in hand before tossing it aside. They’d gone out fighting, and he appreciated that. Ironically, it was more free will than his brothers had been afforded. The droids got to choose while the clones didn’t. Fives had said something about that back on Umbara… </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He moved on. The cycle continued, rinse and repeat, over and over again even as his legs ached and the shot he’d taken to his shoulder was getting more and more aggravated with every piece of rubble he lifted. Still, he pushed on—he went to the lower floor after taking a bit to locate the ladder, not really thinking too much about how he was going to get the bodies back up if he did find any. When he neared the bottom, he skipped the last rung and hopped down, landing with a soft thud which didn’t do much to help the pain traveling up his shins. Regardless, he’d live. He rolled his neck, stepped forward, and went to work continuing the same process he’d done up above.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And then he saw it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He’d recognize that blue republic cog anywhere.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The spell broke. Rex staggered as if he’d taken a physical blow to the face, and his breath hitched as the wave of emotions came crashing back in full force. One foot caught on the other, landing him on his ass, but he didn’t care. Reality settled in once more, and tears began to well up in his eyes. It was real. It was very very real. He dragged himself over to the body. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The helmet came off with a hiss of air, removed by trembling hands that had fumbled with the rim for a few seconds before finding purchase. Jesse’s eyes were still open, discolored, and unseeing. The vessels had popped, leaving splotches of red wherever they went, and it stood out against the dark purple color of his right cheek, though blended with the blood smearing the other half. Rex let out a shaky exhale. He reached forward, fingers unfurling from his palm to slowly touch against his brother’s broken face. There was no reaction, of course, not even when he pressed on the broken cheekbone or let his hand rest fully against Jesse’s chin. He didn’t even realize he was crying again until the first drops had splattered onto the plastoid below. He didn’t care enough to wipe them away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, Jesse…” Rex had lost a lot of brothers. Keeli, Hardcase, Dogma, Tup, Fives, 99, Kix… the list was endless, but throughout it all, he’d still had Jesse. Jesse, his second in command, the one who’d always had his back. Jesse had been there since day one.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Rex hadn’t been prepared to lose him too.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The dam broke. Rex’s fingers touched the dent in his armor and he lowered his forehead to Jesse’s chest plate just as the tears began to well over. It was different than when he’d cried at the ship, the surge of emotions then too much for him to hold in any longer. No, this time, it was replaced with the haunting realization that his men, his brothers, were gone. Something inside him cracked, and he let out a hollow sob, clenching his eyes shut. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was truly alone now. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Time passed. He didn’t know how long he stayed there resting his head against Jesse’s chest, but he couldn’t bring himself to care anymore. When he finally did get up, his head was pounding and the floor felt as if it might sweep his feet from under him. Without anything else to do, he was back on autopilot, his limbs foreign when he lifted Jesse’s broken corpse from the ground. When he exited the remains of the Venator once more, Ahsoka didn’t comment about his puffy eyes or the identity of the man he carried. Her expression simply fell, tears rimming her eyes, and Rex laid Jesse next to the rest of their fallen men. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ahsoka held her hand out to him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After a moment of hesitation, he took it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Nu kyr’adyc, shi taab’echaaj’la</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Marching far, far away.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>well.. third fic in a row where I just endlessly bash Rex :’) if you couldn’t tell, he’s one of my comfort characters and I rlly need to give him a break. I swear I’ll post something fluffy in the near future, but please take this angst for now. Kudos, comments, bookmarks and all that are appreciated &lt;3 also, I didn’t edit this, so if you see mistakes, uh, no you don’t</p></blockquote></div></div>
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